Aurelian
is a tabletop game about the Crisis of the Third Century, the period
during which the Roman empire nearly disintegrated in constant civil war
and foreign invasions. Players take one of four roles: a Roman,
Germanic, Sarmatian, or Persian commander. Any number of players can
conduct a campaign, in which each type of army has a different set of
victory conditions. While holding off Rome's many enemies, the Roman
players are also trying to defeat each other and ultimately become (and
remain!) emperor. The Persians are trying to carve away provinces in the
east and add them to the Sassanian monarchy. The barbarians are trying
to raid and carry away as much loot as possible while amassing glory
from victorious battles over any sort of enemy, even one's own tribe.
Every battle is therefore a balancing act, in which the military and
political context is constantly